MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) 鈥 An arsonist set fire to the door of a Melbourne synagogue and forced the congregation to flee on Friday, seven months after criminals destroyed a synagogue in the same Australian city with an accelerant-fueled blaze that left a worshipper injured.
A man doused the double front doors of the downtown East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and set it alight around 8 p.m., a police statement said on Saturday. Around 20 worshippers sharing a meal to mark the Shabbat Jewish day of rest evacuated through a rear door and no one was injured, police said.
Fire fighters extinguished the blaze which was contained to the front entrance, police.
Antisemitic attacks roil Australia since 2023
has roiled Australia since the Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel triggered the war in Gaza.
Jewish and Muslim organizations and hate researchers have recorded drastic spikes in hate-fueled incidents on both groups. The Australian government last year appointed special envoys to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia in the community.
Last December, two masked men struck the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne鈥檚 southeast. They caused extensive damage by spreading a liquid accelerant with brooms throughout the building before igniting it. A worshipper sustained minor burns.
No charges have been laid for that attack, which Prime Minister
The Victorian Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, which includes Victoria state police, federal police and Australia鈥檚 main domestic spy agency, said the fire was likely a politically-motivated attack.
Police say synagogue attack is a serious crime
Acting Victoria Police Commander Zorka Dunstan described the latest synagogue fire as a serious crime. Police released a CCTV image of a suspect.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to make it very clear that we do recognize that these crimes are disgusting and abhorrent. But at this stage, we are not declaring this a terrorist incident,鈥 Dunstan told reporters.
鈥淚n the course of our investigation, we will examine the intent and the ideology of the persons involved, or person, to determine if this is in fact terrorism. At the moment, we are categorizing it as a serious criminal incident and responding accordingly,鈥 she added.
A terrorism declaration opens the investigation to more resourcing and can result in charges that carry longer prison sentences.
The synagogue鈥檚 president, Danny Segal, called for the wider Australian community to stand with his congregation.
鈥淲e鈥檙e here to be in peace, you know, we鈥檙e here for everybody to live together and we鈥檝e got a fresh start in Australia, such a beautiful country, and what they're doing is just not fair and not right, and as Australians, we should stand up and everybody should stand up,鈥 Segal told reporters.
Protesters harass diners in Israeli-owned restaurant
Also in downtown Melbourne on Friday night, around 20 masked protesters harassed diners in an Israeli-owned restaurant. A Miznon restaurant window was broken. A 28-year-old woman was arrested for hindering police.
Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich, a leading opponent of antisemitism in Australia, said diners were terrorized as the group chanted 鈥淒eath to the IDF,鈥 referring to the Israel Defense Forces.
鈥淢elbourne, for one night, stopped being a safe place for Jews,鈥 Abramovich said.
Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece condemned both the synagogue and restaurant incidents.
鈥淭hese criminal acts against a Melbourne synagogue and an Israeli business are absolutely shocking,鈥 Reece said. 鈥淎ll of us as a community need to stand up against it.鈥
Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan said both incidents were designed to 鈥渢raumatize Jewish families.鈥
鈥淎ny attack on a place of worship is an act of hate, and any attack on a Jewish place of worship is an act of antisemitism,鈥 she said in a statement.
